Login

Colombian superstar Shakira is opening a new school in her native hometown of Barranquilla in Colombia.

Colombian superstar Shakira is opening a new school in her native hometown of Barranquilla in Colombia. The chart-topping singer/songwriter's Pies Descalzos Foundation is joining forces with FC Barcelona Foundation and 'La Caixa,' a banking foundation, to open the Institución Nuevo Bosque -- Pies Descalzos' seventh school in Colombia.

The institute will be built in one of Barranquilla's most conflict-ridden neighborhoods, which is where most of Shakira's institutions have been built throughout Colombia. "When we started to build schools in Colombia 20 years ago, we chose remote areas where there was absolutely nothing at all -- no infrastructure, roads or even potable water," the "Chantaje" singer said in a statement.

"We built schools where the government was absent and thousands of children didn't have access to quality education. The transformation was immediate - jobs were generated, malnutrition plummeted and the students responded well academically."

In a video shared by FC Barcelona, Shakira further expands on the importance of investing in education. "We live in a globalized world and we need to invest in children if we want to have a prosperous world. Helping children is the most effective way to eradicate poverty."

Institución Nuevo Bosque will open its doors in two years. Back in December, Shakira's Pies Descalzos' school in Barranquilla was named the No. 1 public school in all of Colombia, according to a study. The ranking was based on the students' collective Saber 11 test scores.